Strong men more likely to have right-wing views, study reveals

Opposition leader Tony Abbott is known for his love of exercise and keeping fit - and for his conservative views. Picture: Colin Murty Source: The Daily Telegraph

Bigger biceps mean you're more right wing

Study of men in three countries

Just look at Tony Abbott and Arnie

MEN with strong upper body strength are more likely to vote conservatively while physically weaker males have a greater tendency towards left-leaning views.

And stronger men are more likely to protect their resources while weaker males favour more socialist views such as wealth distribution, researchers claim.

Psychological scientists Michael Bang Petersen of Denmark’s Aarhus University, and Daniel Sznycer of the University of California, say political motivations may have evolutionary links to physical strength.

The scientists say men's upper body strength predicts and influences their political opinions and this link reflects psychological traits that evolved in response to our early ancestral environments and continue to influence behaviour today.

"While many think of politics as a modern phenomenon, it has - in a sense - always been with our species," they say.

Kevin Rudd has made no secret of his left-leaning views File picture: Kym Smith

In early days, distribution of resources was achieved through a show of strength as opposed to judicial processes.

With this theory in mind, the scientists set about to prove that upper body strength - seen as a symbol of protecting resources - would predict men's opinions about wealth distribution.

Measuring bicep size and socio-economic status, researchers collected data from hundreds of men from the US, Denmark and Argentina which all have different welfare systems.

They found that irrespective of where the men came from, those with strong upper body strength were less likely to support a welfare system.

Arnold Schwarzenegger has big biceps and is a Republican. Theory proved.

"Our results demonstrate that physically weak males are more reluctant than physically strong males to assert their self-interest - just as if disputes over national policies were a matter of direct physical confrontation among small numbers of individuals, rather than abstract electoral dynamics among millions," they say.

This certainly seems to be the case for the Opposition leader Tony Abbott who is known for his love of exercise and body strength, while the less buff former PM Kevin Rudd on the other hand is seen as more left leaning.

Interestingly, the researchers found no link with upper body strength and political persuasion among women.

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Comments on this story

Annoyed Posted at 1:20 PM May 17, 2013

To all the "Alpha Males" here...yes you may work harder, but I work much smarter. The old attage (which you may need to google the meaning of) no brains, all brawn.
Suck it :P

Buck Turgidson of Perth Posted at 12:36 PM May 17, 2013

Is it a surprise that the sort of people that put effort into being physically intimidating take an us vs them attitude?

Mike Winfield of Australia Posted at 12:28 PM May 17, 2013

I don't think Hitler had very strong muscles..
not even his brain muscle

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